J.S. Bach - The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I
Glenn Gould, Piano
Sony Music 52600
Recorded Circa 1965
Also Available As Part Of "Glen Gould Plays Bach"
(12 CD Box Set)
Sony Classics 64226 (1999)
SAMPLE TRACK: "Prelude Number 21 In B-Flat Major, BWV 866"
(MP3 Stream Requires WinAmp Or Other Compatible MP3 Player)
The forty-eight preludes and fugues comprising Johann Sebastian Bach's "Well-Tempered Clavier" remain amongst the unparalleled achievements of music. Endlessly creative and varied, yet cohered with an almost mathematical architecture, there is a sense of absolute correctness and truth in Bach’s compositions which I find both exhilarating & serene. Mr.Gould renders the formal precision of these works with his unique interpretive insights and formidable (if idiosyncratic) technique. Listen to the astonishing variations in mood and tempi unfold in the mere seventy seconds of the Prelude Number 21. Playing with directness and passion, Gould communicates a full breadth of emotions through this disarmingly short piece, imbuing it with the twin virtues of discipline and creative genius that characterize the very best of Bach performances.
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